Copper production in the Democratic Republic of the Congo increased by 11.2 per cent from January to May this year compared with the same period last year cobalt production increased by 2.8 per cent

SMM7, 10 March: the Central Bank of the Congo said on Tuesday that copper production in the Democratic Republic of the Congo from January to May this year was 552044 tons, an increase of about 11.2 per cent over the same period last year, when 496468 tons were compared with the same period last year.

Cobalt production in the January-May period was 44522 tons, up about 2.8 per cent from 43291 tons in the same period last year.

Meanwhile, gold production fell 6.4 per cent to 13511 kg.

But the Congolese mining industry has not been calm in recent days.

On June 27, the KOV open-pit copper and cobalt mine in (KCC), the mining area of Glencore (Glencore) 's Kamoto copper company, partially collapsed, killing at least 43 illegal miners and expelling thousands.

The mine is one of Zambia's largest copper mines, with KCC producing 152400 tons of copper and 11100 tons of cobalt last year. Glencore's nearby Mutanda project produced 199000 tons of copper and 27300 tons of cobalt last year.

Artisanal mining on the edge of commercial mining areas is a major problem for the whole of Africa. Outdated and unregulated mining methods used by miners tend to endanger safety, so mining accidents in the Congo alone kill dozens of people each year.

As illegal miners refused to leave the mine, they gathered near the copper and cobalt mine to protest, and the Congolese army tried to disperse the crowd and sound warnings to the air.

The Lualaba provincial government of the KCC mine, where the mine is located, has made some concessions, promising to allow expelled miners to continue mining, but the miners still doubt whether there will be thousands more to be absorbed in the mine. "related news-illegal miners protested at the Glencore copper and cobalt mine in protest against the warning issued by the Congolese army

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